Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira told local news outlet the Star Advertiser that when lava reaches a structure, firefighters will basically let it burn but fight any fires that spread or threaten other structures. Officials were planning to allow homeowners to make arrangements to watch their homes burn down as a means of closure and to document the destruction for insurance purposes, Oliveira said.

Just heard via a Civil Defense conference, lava has ignited the residential property near the lava flow. #PunaLavaFlow

While the lava had moved rapidly towards Pahoa village in October, it had stalled temporarily near the end of the month. However, in recent days it was on the move, and on Sunday the lava flow crossed Apaa Street for a second time, next to the initial crossing, according to a County of Hawaii spokesperson. Below is footage of the flow.

This isn't the first time that lava from the Kīlauea volcano has threatened residential areas. After its ongoing Puʻu ʻŌʻō-Kupaianaha eruption began in 1983, it destroyed more than 100 homes and community buildings in the nearby community of Kalapana in 1990.

Lava Flow Hawaii

By dawn on October 28, lava had crossed into two privately owned properties above Pāhoa. Note the inflated flow behind the fence, which is chest-high.

Image: U.S. Geological Survey

The June 27th lava flow burns vegetation as it approaches a property boundary above Pāhoa early on the morning of October 28, 2014.

Image: U.S. Geological Survey

Lava pushed through a fence marking a property boundary above Pāhoa early on October 28.

Image: U.S. Geological Survey

A lava flow advances across the pasture between the Pahoa cemetery and Apa'a Street, engulfing a barbed wire fence, near the town of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii. Dozens of residents in this rural area of Hawaii were placed on alert as flowing lava continued to advance on October 25, 2014.

Image: U.S. Geological Survey

This Oct. 22, 2014 photo shows the front of a lava flow with numerous smoke plumes arising from active breakouts burning vegetation at the flow margin, near the town of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Image: U.S. Geological Survey

Lava from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano as the flow crosses Apa'a Street Pahoa, Hawaii. The lava flow is advancing towards the town of Pahoa, whose main street is 800 meters from the flow front.

Image: U.S. Geological Survey

A Hawaii Volcano Observatory geologist stands on a partly cooled section of lava flow near the town of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii. Note the thin red horizontal line of molten lava visible along the bottom third of the photo. The flow here is about one meter (three feet) thick, but slightly farther upslope where the lava has had more time to inflate the thickness was closer to two meters. Dozens of residents in this rural area of

Image: U.S. Geological Survey

An aerial view of the lava upslope from the flow front covering a dirt road. A 13-mile finger of lava from Kilauea Volcano has started to again move quickly, and could hit a secondary road sometime Friday, Oct. 24, 2014. Officials on Hawaii's Big Island won't start evacuating people until the lava flow is within three to five days of affecting Pahoa residents.

Image: U.S. Geological Survey

The leading tip of the flow advanced through the Pahoa cemetery on October 26, 2014. The flow front passed through a predominantly Buddhist cemetery, covering grave sites in the mostly rural region of Puna.

Image: U.S. Geological Survey

A Volcano Observatory geologists walks over the surface of the flow to track surface breakouts along a portion of the flow margin, about a kilometer (0.6 miles) upslope of the flow front, as the lava advances on the town of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii. Scorched and burned trees are seen in the background. The growing stream of lava threatening homes is expanding and speeding up as it heads toward the small rural town.

Image: U.S. Geological Survey

A small shed is consumed by lava in a pasture between the Pahoa cemetery and Apa'a Street. Dozens of residents in this rural area of Hawaii were placed on alert as flowing lava continued to advance. Authorities on October 26, 2014 said lava had advanced about 250 yards since Saturday morning and was moving at the rate of about 10 to 15 yards an hour, consistent with its advancement in recent days.

Image: U.S. Geological Survey

A Volcano Observatory geologist mapping the margin of the June 27 lava flow in the open field below Cemetery Road near the town of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Image: U.S. Geological Survey

This pair of images released on October 22, 2014 show a comparison of a normal photograph of the lava flow front, left, with a thermal image of the flow that is threatening the town of Pahoa. The white box shows the approximate extent of the thermal image. The thermal image shows that active breakouts (white and yellow areas) are focused along the narrow lobe at the leading edge of the flow, but are also scattered for about 2 km (1.2 miles) behind the flow front.

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